Necessary Hassle Part One

Not long ago, our vet’s office reminded us that both Boudicca and Charlie were due to receive their rabies vaccines. Charlie had received his initial shots at the shelter, but since he had been adopted and returned a few times, his rabies tag had been lost at some point. We had also planned to test Boudicca’s T4 to determine if her thyroid levels have lowered to normal. Rather than schedule two separate visits, we scheduled them simultaneously. That meant the hassle of corralling two very different cats into carriers.

As expected, Charlie felt the world was ending and protested pitifully about it. Aaron was able to envelope him in a towel and scooch him into the carrier. We surprised a sleepy Boudicca and popped her into the carrier in under 30 seconds (!), although she subsequently emphatically meowed her displeasure about this perceived betrayal. Boudicca made many protests and continued to leave a running commentary about the whole experience.

In the end, everyone did well. Yes, the cats were unhappy about the situation but no one had to be sedated and no one peed, bit, scratched, or had a complete nervous breakdown. We were actually early to our appointment so that moved everything ahead of schedule (in a good way). The cats are up to date on their shots. (Garrus was already up to date on his.) Charlie is at a healthy weight and the vet is quite pleased with the progress we have made with him (and Garrus) since August. Although we are treating Boudicca for her thyroid, she is pretty healthy for a senior cat (one of the techs mentioned that she did not look 17) and she’s a happy girl. Cat Parent Achievement Level Up.